About 60,000 Lankans might die in road accidents in next 20 years: Expert
About 60,000 Sri Lankans are likely to die in road accidents in the next 20 years, Prof. Samath Dharmaratne, Head of the Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, at the Peradeniya University, has warned.
Prof. Dharmaratne said so, at a recent seminar on road safety in Colombo.
Another 400,000 people might suffer injuries in road mishaps, he said. Out of the injured, he said.The country will lose about Rs 200 billion due to road accidents, Prof. Dharmaratne said.
“There must be a presidential task force on preventing road accidents where all stakeholders can come together and discuss,” he said.
From 01 January to 31 August this year, there were 16,496 road accidents resulting in 1,539 deaths, and most of the victims were aged 18 to 28, according to official data.